Heat 110, Wizards 102
Q. Why did things turn in their direction in the third quarter?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought we came out and had a great first half. Defense was good, sharing the ball, second unit came in, really bought it. Came out okay, a little flat to start the third quarter, but at the end of the third, I thought we got some great looks, we just missed some wide-open shots. I truly trust our guys that they'll make those. Those are shots that we like the process. We'll continue to shoot them. I believe in my guys.
Q. What can you tell us about Tyus leaving the game with an injury?
BRIAN KEEFE: Just finding out now. He'll be reevaluated tonight and see where he is in the morning. Obviously he left with an ankle.
Q. This obviously isn't the first game where you guys have struggled to make shots. Do you see maybe it's not the best shot for that player at that time, or how do you think about that?
BRIAN KEEFE: No, I think we got great looks. Jordan and Corey got a good amount of threes up, wide-open shots, Kyle. I like our process. We got into the teeth of their defense. The ball didn't go in.
What I loved that we did, though, tonight was we didn't let the game go. We got down a little bit, and we got basically to a one-possession game at the end. Our guys kept plowing, kept going ahead, even when they didn't make shots, and sometimes that can drop your energy. It didn't drop ours. We're showing some good growth.
Q. The rebounding wasn't there, but the defense did look good at times. What did you like about it in particular?
BRIAN KEEFE: I liked how -- we did foul a little bit much, but we contested shots. We were physical. We scrapped. Our defense was good. We held them to 23 in the fourth, good first half defense. They shot a low field goal percentage. We're seeing some growth in that area for sure.
Q. What was your thought process in not going back to Delon? He played just six minutes tonight.
BRIAN KEEFE: With Tyus out, Jordan started the fourth, and they made a good push, so I kept that group in there. They got a good rhythm, and they were the ones that made a push. I would have gone back to them, but I felt like they brought some energy, so I trusted those guys to finish the game.
Q. That third quarter, aside from the making shots, defensively, how much frustration can it be with the way they played in that mid-range area and bait people into fouling them and sending them to the line?
BRIAN KEEFE: That's their game. They've been doing it for a long time. Jimmy Butler and those guys. We did foul a little bit probably too much, but again, I think our defense showed some growth tonight, and when you're missing shots, sometimes, like I said, your energy can drop. Our guys are continuing to play hard and fight through things. I think we showed good fighting through adversity tonight.
Q. I know the rebounding battle didn't go in your favor, but even without Marvin I know it was a concern coming into the game without him. What did you like about the tenacity that the team still had as a whole trying to crash the glass?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think our physicality was good tonight. I think that really showed in the fourth quarter as the game got tighter. We got stops, and when we got stops, we got out in transition and got some easy baskets. That's always a key for us is we're going to play off our defense, and we're going to keep building that.
Q. Jordan had a tough shooting night, but he had 10 assists, one turnover. What did you see from him?
BRIAN KEEFE: I liked how he got into the teeth of the defense. I liked how he played aggressive. This is what I've told Jordan. I want Jordan to be aggressive because I think he's a good passer. Probably shouldn't have had one turnover. I don't know if that was a turnover on that one. That was a double dribble. But Jordan can see the court. Jordan can play make for us. That's what we're expecting him to do, and he's showing that he can do that.
Q. Was the Miami zone an issue in that third quarter because it seemed like it kind of had you guys flustered just a little bit?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, I think they've been doing that for years. I liked the shots we got. We got into the teeth of the defense. We missed some chip shots, and once we got into the teeth, we kicked out to our shooters. I would want the same shots again if we played again tomorrow. I liked the process that we had. Sometimes that's the game. They just didn't go in tonight.
Q. Johnny Davis, two minutes tonight. Do you see him getting more minutes after the deadline, or what's your vision for him going forward?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think I talked about this before the game. Johnny has been down with our G-League, the Go-Go, and he's making strides. I put him out there tonight. He did the same thing the game before. Great energy, great defense, hustle. He did the same thing again tonight. That's a big part of our development as an organization, utilizing our G-League, our staff. We're kind of just basically one organization.
His growth has been starting down there. When he came back here, he's getting rewarding, and he played a good game for us tonight.
Q. What did you see on your defensive glass? Was it an inordinate number of long rebounds given up, or what did you see?
BRIAN KEEFE: I do think there were some long rebounds because both teams didn't shoot the ball well from three tonight, so there were shots that were just loose going up in the air that we didn't get, and I think, what did they end up with, 19 second-chance points. But that's an area that we've been focused on, and that's an area that we're going to continue to focus on.
Q. With Corey, I know that you've only worked with him for this season, but what have you told him to kind of get him to elevate that game, or what have you wanted him to focus on?
BRIAN KEEFE: Corey deserves all the credit for his improvement, the type of person he is and how he works at his craft. The guy is very diligent about his game. When you're like that, he's a great example for the rest of his teammates. You're going to continue to improve. I think you're seeing that on both ends of the floor for him this year. I think he's going to continue to get better, too.
Q. Can you just add on to that and talk about his growth as a ball handler?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yes, I think that's something he's added to his game. The three-point shooting, his movement is great, but now the teams can get up on him. He can play make, get to the rim and play make for others, too. He's adding stuff to his game like good players do.
Q. Going back to Johnny Davis, as someone who's been around him all year, how would you describe his development at this point?
BRIAN KEEFE: I've been pleased with Johnny's development. I was the one who worked with him before during the season. This guy has made some growth. That's what we're looking for from all our guys, and I think he's getting rewarded. I played him tonight because he has shown growth, so I was pleased with his effort tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports